Pope Francis Calls the Internet ‘Gift from God’

Updated at 11:46 am, January 23rd, 2014

ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images(VATICAN CITY) — Even Pope Francis believes the Internet is a godsend, though probably not for the same reasons other people do. In a statement, the pope said the Internet helped to better connect people to one another.

“The walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another,” he said. “The Internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.”

The pope is no stranger to technology. @Pontifex, his official Twitter account, regularly tweets spiritual blessings and has received an additional 2 million followers since Pope Benedict XVI resigned. Pope Francis has also appeared in a selfie or two.

But that doesn’t mean the pope thinks the Internet is without flaws. Despite its vastness, he said it encouraged people to look only for things that “confirm their own wishes and ideas, or political and economic interests.” He added that it could also physically isolate people from one another, and leave behind those who may not have access to social media.

“It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply ‘connected,” he said. “The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity, a network not of wires but of people.”